The Olympic medallist, who recently announced his retirement from competitive gymnastics, said he wanted to keep his six-pack.

Louis, 23, said: “I jumped at the chance of Strictly. A lot of people expected me to have to think about it because it was so soon but for me it was a no-brainer. As soon as the Games ended I just started eating loads of chocolate.

“I stopped going to the gym and just ate. In fact I’ve not really been to the gym since the Games.”

Louis, who partners Flavia Cacace, 33, became the first British gymnast to win an Olympic medal in 80 years when he took a bronze in Beijing in 2008.

He then landed individual silver and a team bronze at the London Olympics. But despite being a top athlete, Louis admitted he was in danger of losing his toned torso.

He said: “People might think I couldn’t break the diet because I jumped straight into Strictly but I did. My abs are definitely slacking.

“There is this sort of downtime for athletes where you don’t really know what to do with yourself after the Games, so Strictly was the perfect opportunity for me to keep fit and still have fun.”

Louis is one of the favourites to win the BBC1 talent show along with Denise van Outen, 38.